Archbishop of Canterbury snubs RSPCA role

The Archbishop of Canterbury has put an end to a long standing tradition by snubbing a position at the top of the RSPCA, ending many years of Church involvement with the charity.

Archbishop Justin Welby (pictured) has broken tradition by refusing a role at the top of the RSPCA. Photo: Catholic Church England and Wales.

The RSPCA was founded by a London vicar in 1984 and the refusal to maintain leadership of the charity could be seen as a deliberate distancing of the Church.

The refusal of the Archbishop of Canterbury to accept a leadership role is particularly interesting given that four of his predecessors all took on prominent roles within the charity.

Lambeth Palace stated: “Since taking to office in March this year, the Archbishop has received many kind invitations to patron a large variety of charities and good causes. Each invitation has been an honour, and in an ideal world he would like to accept them all.”

“However,” continued the statement, “in light of the sheer volume of requests the Archbishop receives, and the many pressures on his time and resources, he has reluctantly decided to restrict his patronage to a manageable number of organizations, based on where he feels his support could be most beneficial.”

The statement concluded by explaining that “the Archbishop has enormous admiration for the RSPCA and hopes to see its work strive long into the future”.